SA Express Flights

Why Fly SAA?

SAA Flight Bookings

SAA, short for South African Airways, is South Africa's largest domestic and international airline company. Headquartered in Airways Park in Johannesburg, Gauteng, SAA flies to 38 destinations worldwide. SAA's international flights are generally routed via Johannesburg, rather than Cape Town.

SAA is a member of the Star Alliance Group. Founded in 1934 after Union Airlines was acquired by the South African government, the airline has since grown to be one of the leading airlines on the African continent. The airline split from parent company Transnet in 2006, and has since operated independently. Its air miles programme is called Voyager, with air miles accruable across the Star Alliance network.

SAA owns low cost carrier Mango Airlines, and also has links with Airlink and South African Express airlines. Get the best SAA flight deals below:

The SAA Airline Experience

According to the SAA website, they are committed to the highest standards in everything they do. From their warm hospitality and luxury airport lounges to an in-flight menu created by renowned chefs, they aim to deliver a world-class experience every time. To top this off, the airline has also recently been named the most on-time airline in the world.

The quality of catering, however, has has been known to vary.

While SAA's service and reliability is widely considered to be good, the airline has been experiencing financial management issues, and have also been accused of anti-competitive pricing behaviour in the local South African airline market.

During the 2012/2013 period, a number of executives have also left SAA in rather quick succession. It is, however, the only South African airline to be awarded a 4-star airline ranking from Skytrax, making it an excellent choice in terms of the in-flight service experience.

SAA's in flight features and benefits include the following:

Seat back TVs on long haul flights

2 | 4 | 2 seat layout

Airscape in flight entertainment channel with Audio Video On Demand (AVOD), except on the A340-200 aircrafts.

Sawubona in flight magazine

Long haul amenity kits in Business Class and First Class.

SAA in the news

SAA has frequently courted controversy, with a string of high-profile executive resignations and financial woes having plagued the airline int the past number of years. A turnaround strategy is currently being implemented to address the airlines weak balance sheet and capital position. You can find out more about the SAA turnaround strategy in the below video:

SAA flight routes

SAA regularly flies throughout South Africa, with domestic destintions including the likes of Johannesburg, Durban, Lanseria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, PE, George, Hoedspruit, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg, Upington, Polokwane and Richards Bay. In addition, SAA also flies to a range of regional and international destinations, including:

Flights from Johannesburg to Sao Paulo

Flights from Johannesburg to Frankfurt

Flights from Johannesburg to Paris

Flights from Johannesburg to Mumbai

Flights from Johannesburg to Perth

Flights from Johannesburg to Zurich

Flights from Johannesburg to New York

Flights from Johannesburg to Washington

Since Malaysia Airlines quit servicing the Cape Town to Buenos Aires route, it is currently also the most direct flight routing to Argentina, albeit by default, via Johannesburg.

The SAA Airline Fleet

As of 2012, the SAA fleet of 54 aircraft comprises a range of Airbuses and Boeing 737s.

SAA Flight Bookings

Make your own SAA reservations online! To book your SAA flights online using Travelstart's state of the art online flight booking system, CLICK HERE NOW.

SAA Reservations

You can also contact SAA Reservations telephonically on 0861 FLYSAA (0861 359722) from 06:00 to 22:00 daily. For more information visit www.flysaa.com - not www.saa.co.za!